In Chinese media, 'a lot to be done' is left unsaid

It is fair to report, as Agence
France-Presse and others did today, that Chinese media largely avoided
President Hu Jintao's comments on human rights during a Washington
press conference on Wednesday. But the nature of the omission is significant.
Chinese reports acknowledged that a discussion of human rights took place
between Hu and U.S. President Barack Obama, but omitted the very phrase that dominated
international coverage: "A lot still needs to be done," Hu finally acknowledged
to reporters. And the context--Hu being challenged during a public press
conference--is absent.

What's left is a neutered version of the conversation. For many
Chinese readers, today's news reports show Hu reiterating a commitment to human
rights and repelling American interference.

China's leaders increasingly promise to protect "citizens' rights"
as granted by the state, without making a broader commitment to internationally
recognized human rights, a CPJ report
found last October. In practice, the Communist Party shows no sign of changing
its record of imprisoning
journalists, restricting information, and imposing other limits on free
expression.

Astute Chinese readers are used to looking between the lines
for the action. So, too, with Wednesday's coverage. Look at this paragraph from
a story by the Beijing-based Caixin.
(This is broadly paraphrased for clarity; Chinese readers can find the original
on Caixin's website.) "Hu
said China
respects universal values, but has cultural differences. Obama said America
respects cultural difference, but said he hoped universal values would be
respected."

There's a lot going on in that word, "but."

Internet users can use circumvention software to access
international news reports that are otherwise blocked in China. A comment left
below the Southern
Metropolis Daily news report about the American visit complains: "Hu said China
has a lot of work to do on human rights. That makes headlines all over the
world, only in China no one brings it up."

Madeline Earp is senior researcher for CPJ’s Asia Program. She has studied Mandarin in China and Taiwan, and graduated with a master’s in East Asian studies from Harvard. Follow her on Twitter @cpjasia and Facebook @ CPJ Asia Desk.

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